More Power To Women: Cognizant Unveils Shakti To Advance Women Leadership In Technology

Professional services company Cognizant has unveiled Shakti, a unified framework of women-centric programmes and policies, with the objective of accelerating careers and boosting women leadership in technology. Through Shakti, Cognizant aims to reframe current programmes and policies and bring all women-centric initiatives under one umbrella for greater impact.

Shakti will include Rise, a leadership development programme for mid-level women associates in India; Propel, a global leadership development programme for empowering women at senior levels through coaching and mentoring; Returnship, a 12-week programme focused on upskilling for returning to work after a career break; and Be Gritty, which trains fresh campus hires to develop a growth mindset.

“Shakti will catalyse our efforts to enable more women to advance their careers and reach their full potential. Growth, innovation, and client-centricity all require a diverse and inclusive workforce, doubly so as generative AI permeates the workplace. We will see the most essential human skill shift from problem-solving to problem-finding, putting a premium on cognitive diversity,” said Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S.

Additionally, Cognizant has partnered with Nasscom to establish and prioritise best practices with a shared goal of making diversity and inclusion a key differentiator of India's tech sector.

“The technology industry in India today has on average 36% of women representation in its workforce. Partnerships are key towards our shared goal as an industry of creating a more empathetic, inclusive and diverse tech industry,” said Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh.

According to Cognizant, in India, nearly 40% of its associates are women, compared to the technology sector’s gender diversity average of 36%. More than half of 13 Cognizant centres in the country have crossed over 40% in their women workforce, with two of the largest centres being currently led by women leaders, the company said.

Cognizant also launched a company-wide allyship programme. By understanding the challenges women face at work and helping address the biases they encounter, male allies make a significant difference in creating a more inclusive workplace. The company is also offering inclusive leadership training and promoting a sense of belonging through dedicated affinity groups. The Women Empowered Affinity Group, with around 50,000 members and allies based in India, aims to improve the work experience for women and create business impact, Cognizant said.

Cognizant believes diversity and inclusion behaviours take hold when there is leadership engagement and accountability to drive policies and initiatives across each leader's organisation. The company said that as an ongoing practice, it engages the leadership to not only implement policies but also assess their impact.